Without Reservation
by Kavi Leighanna
Summary: TV Prompt Challenge - It started in Vegas. Neither of them realized how deep it went until it ended in Boston. H/P
1. Chapter 1

**WITHOUT RESERVATION**

PROMPT: What Happens in Vegas, Dies in Boston (Crossing Jordan)

Chapter 1

--

They'd gotten four brutal cases in a row and she was broken. Between her personal and professional lives, Emily was completely on the verge of losing it. And that was the last thing she knew she could afford to do.

It was a compound thing, something that she had felt coming for a while. Their case in Las Vegas had pulled the team closer together and, with a little bit of alcohol, the little dance that she'd been doing with her supervisor had ended. She'd woken with a brutal hangover in her bed, but with none other than her boss wrapped around her body. Much to her surprise, it had only led to good things. More than that, she'd been floored when Hotch cornered her at her apartment a few days later only to tell her that not only could he not get her out of his head, but he wanted her like he hadn't wanted anything in a while.

Things had started off tentative. They both knew the perils and pitfalls of the job, but it seemed so much easier to overcome them with someone who knew. But lately, in the last couple of months, they'd grown apart. And really, when she looked at it, that was an understatement. Then they'd been slammed with their last four cases. One with the highest number of victims of a case Emily had ever worked, another one where JJ and Dave had been held captive for three days, a third that involved playing hide and seek with a pedophile and child-killer, and then this one. Boston had a serial killer that enjoyed breaking each and every bone in his victim's bodies. Even now, she shivered as she walked the hall to her boss' room.

She knew there would be no comfort from him. There hadn't been for weeks. Hotch had pulled away from her completely and she couldn't fight anymore. She was finished, that's all there was to it. She'd already talked to Dave and Derek, and had Penelope file for vacation effective immediately. She'd take a few weeks, decide what she wanted to do, then maybe she'd come back. But there was something else she had to do first, and it was important. So she carried her go-bag down the hall with her, her plane ticket tucked safely in her purse. She'd go home for a few hours before packing up for her vacation. She was leaving Washington, getting away. She needed it.

He opened his door with dark, lifeless eyes, that broke Emily's heart despite her resolve. He ran a hand through his hair. "Emily, I can't."

His use of her first name twisted her gut painfully and she had to fist her free hand so her nails dug into her palm to keep herself from showing any emotion herself. "I know," she replied. "So I'm doing what you can't. I can't do this anymore, Aaron. I'm tired of fighting to pull you back to reality. I don't have the energy to keep fighting anymore."

He looked confused. "What are we talking about?"

"Us," she answered honestly. "You've been pulling away from me and I can't fight you anymore. I can't hold on, not to someone who so obviously doesn't want to open up and let someone else shoulder some of the burden, not to someone who can't notice when I'm struggling too so we can struggle together."

He looked so stunned, so surprised and it actually strengthened her resolve.

Still, she looked down, unable to tell him that she'd gone above his head to his face. "Garcia put in for my leave time. I'm getting on a plane tonight. You guys will be fine without me to finish this. I just… I'm going to break Aaron. Between us and the cases… I can't take it. I need to get away."

She stood there awkwardly for a few minutes, waiting for him to respond. When he didn't she nodded once, swallowing the emotion creeping up in her throat. "It's three weeks leave." She felt obligated to tell him that. "Goodbye."

She listened closely for anything, for his footsteps, for the door closing… Nothing. She was breathing shallowly when she reached the elevator and struggled to hold it together as she descended to the lobby. She couldn't make it any further than that, and found herself ducking into a back corner and sliding down the wall as tears overtook her. She cried painfully, without making a sound.

Slowly, her sobs died down and she sat there for a few more minutes, taking deep breaths. The pain wasn't gone from her heart, but there really was nothing left in her. Double checking that she didn't look completely terrible, she stood, shouldering her bag and hailed a cab. It was time for Emily Prentiss to take a vacation. God-willing, she'd be able to straighten herself out and remember there were good things in the world.

And she knew there was only one place she could do it.

* * *

_**Partially inspired by ThnksFrThMmrs87, so thank you!**_

_**This is 6 chapters in total and yes, I have finished them all, so there shouldn't be any sort of major waits in between updates. Most of them are pretty short.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**WITHOUT RESERVATION**

PROMPT: What Happens in Vegas, Dies in Boston (Crossing Jordan)

Chapter 2

--

She hadn't had a hangover in a long time and though she'd made a mental note to grab a bottle of water on the plane, she hadn't. And the two hour flight hadn't been anywhere close to enough sleep to begin reviving her. She'd been through too much emotional upheaval for it to work like magic. She knew she looked like hell when she stepped off the plane, weaving through people to get to baggage claim.

"Emily?"

Emily looked up at the man that had called her name with a gentle smile. At sixty-seven, Nicholas Prentiss was the father Emily hadn't had. Her mother's only sibling had led a much quieter life than his sister had and, with a few deft and smart investments, had managed to make a name for himself anyway. Now, he owned a country retreat in upper New York State. She'd known she had a standing invitation whenever she needed it and though she'd never taken advantage of it until now, it seemed like the perfect place to get away.

She dropped her bags to wrap her arms around him tightly. "Hi Uncle Nick."

"Hey there, Em-bear." He just held her tightly, squeezing her to him. She was his favourite and only niece. He didn't have any kids and had lost his wife Judith early, before they'd had kids. But that was fine. He had enough nephews to keep him busy for a while. And he had Emily. When she'd called him to ask shyly if she could come visit, he'd known immediately something was wrong with her. He'd known her too long not to be able to tell that everything wasn't right in Washington. He hadn't thought twice about enthusiastically telling her of course. He'd clear his schedule and come pick her up from the airport.

She looked broken and vulnerable, eyes haunted and his heart broke from the unbelievable woman shaking in his arms. Emily had never done anything but impress him through all of her years and he'd always thought he had a kindred spirit in his niece.

"Come on," he said gently. "Let's get you home. I have a real bed with your name on it, acres of land, and a barn of horses at your disposal."

She smiled weakly and squeezed him. "Thanks Uncle Nick. You have no idea how much I appreciate it."

He kissed her forehead. "No reason to thank me, Em-bear. You're family."

It wasn't until she was buckled in the car that she turned on her Blackberry. The only message was a text from JJ telling her to call when she'd landed wherever she was going. She felt tears blur her vision again. It was more painful to know that he wasn't going to fight her. He wasn't going to fight _for_ her. She bit her lip as she found JJ`s contact information.

"Jareau."

"Hey JJ."

The crisp business tone of her blond friend changed immediately. "Hey. How are you?"

"I'm all safe and landed," Emily replied, avoiding the real reason JJ was asking the question. If the team knew she and Hotch had been more than friends and colleagues, they hadn't let on and now that she'd ended it, Emily wasn't about to tell them. As far as they know, the cases had grated on her so much that she needed the break.

"I'm glad," JJ said diplomatically. "Hang on, Derek wants to talk to you."

Emily opened her mouth to protest, but by that point, JJ had already passed on the phone.

"How are you, Girl?"

"Landed," Emily replied.

"Em…"

"Don't, Derek. I'm safe."

There was silence for a moment. "Okay," he said finally, sounding almost defeated. "Call us later, okay?" he asked quietly.

She smiled. Who cared that she'd had no real family growing up? She had most of her team now. That thought made her heart clench again. All but the one she really wanted. "I will," she managed to choke out. Then she hung up, unable to bear being put back on the phone with JJ. She just sat, looking at her Blackberry.

"Em?"

She looked up at her uncle's quiet voice. She knew everything showed in her eyes, everything she was feeling, the chaos and overwhelming pain. He pulled his SUV over to the side of the road and climbed out of the car to come around to her side. Without questions, without a word, he wrapped his arms around her and held on.

The floodgates came again, painfully and without the end in sight. She had no idea how long they stayed there, on the side of the road, the engine idling, her uncle's arms wrapped around her, stroking her hair. He didn't ask anything when her sobs subsided, just closed her door and went back to the driver's side, pulling onto the road. Emily leaned back in her seat.

"We've got at least an hour before we're home. Sleep, princess. I'll wake you when we get there."

Emily leaned her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. A fitful sleep was still a sleep and her body was going to completely rebel on her if she didn't do something about the bone-deep exhaustion.


	3. Chapter 3

**WITHOUT RESERVATION**

PROMPT: What Happens in Vegas, Dies in Boston (Crossing Jordan)

Chapter 3

--

JJ stepped into the BAU bullpen, subdued and quiet. Emily had been gone for a week, and things felt down, dark and miserable. She knew part of it was a side-effect of working with profilers, people who noticed behaviour and felt deeply and passionately, but it was starting to bring her down. Worse than that, it was starting to break them apart. They were all a little bit angry that Emily felt the need to leave. She knew part of it was each of them being angry at themselves for not noticing how much she was struggling. Emily did so much trying to support all of them, and yet none of them had been there for her.

At the same time, there were little things JJ had noticed changing over the last months. Uneven footing between the team had become stable as Hotch had paired himself with Emily more and more often. Hotch wasn't as cranky, wasn't as stoic and strong. But then they'd been assigned their little slew of cases that had affected each of them in turn. They were feeling bone-weary, JJ could tell, and wondered if that was why the higher echelons of the Bureau had forced them into stand-down. Sometime JJ wondered if the Bureau forgot that even superheroes were human. Even the BAU needed a break.

JJ shook her head as Derek's head came up, answering both of his questions in one go. No, she hadn't heard from Emily and no, there was most definitely nothing urgent enough to pull them away from the consults they were doing into the field. He deflated as she came to slide into Emily's seat, something she'd been doing almost daily since they'd returned from Boston. "Nothing."

"Something _has_ to change," Derek said in exasperation. "I can't deal with this."

None of them could. There was a dark cloud hanging over the BAU, a classic case of not knowing what they had until it disappeared. And Emily Prentiss was one of those things. JJ had noticed. She missed having the brunette around to chat with, to partake in girltalk with. JJ knew Dave missed a woman that gave as good as she got and had managed to bring him down a peg in the most gentle way JJ had ever seen. And Reid… Reid missed the one person in the world who was probably his best friend. JJ knew even he hadn't realized how much he relied on Emily until she had left.

But JJ had noticed that it hadn't hit any of them as hard as it seemed to hit Hotch. Between her and Dave, JJ knew that he holed himself in his office. Dave, with a quick unobtrusive call to Haley, had discovered the unit chief hadn't spent time with his son in over a month. The calls had petered out to nothing. He was going down one of the most unhealthy paths she'd ever seen him on and unfortunately, the only person JJ thought could get through to him, was somewhere else. Emily had been very specific in not telling them anything about where she went, and Garcia flat out refused to look up the information. JJ was close to begging. Still, she agreed with Derek's assessment. Something had to change. And JJ would bet that the best place to start was with the man who seemed to have taken it the worst.

For once in her life, JJ broke all of her self-imposed rules about manners and politeness. Without saying a word to Derek or Reid about where she was going, she was out of her seat and climbing the stairs. She and Hotch had a different relationship than, one, he and Emily seemed to and two, the rest of the team. He was her older – and equally as exasperating – brother. He watched out for her with brotherly affection and she appreciated it more than she'd ever be able to say. Which was why she was pushing open his door without knocking and closing it behind her.

"What is it, JJ? A case?"

"You damned well know there's no case," she replied sharply. "We're on stand-down Hotch."

He seemed taken aback by her irritation and for once, was slow enough not to react. "Well yes-"

"_Why_, may I ask, are we on stand-down to begin with?" JJ asked with an arched eyebrow. All of her pent up hurt, her frustration, her irritation with the lack of information was all bubbling to the surface.

"JJ, I can't do anything against orders that come from above me," Hotch said carefully, "You know that."

She smiled inwardly. The entire team knew that JJ was a mild-mannered person. She was the team sweetheart, without question, so when she got angry, _everyone_ got out of her way, at least until she'd cooled down a little bit. Unfortunately for Hotch, they were in his office. There was no where to go. "You seriously think this is because orders came from above?"

He rubbed his forehead. "I have no idea what you're trying to get at."

"Emily."

The one word, her name, sent his shoulders tensing even more than they had been, had his brows knitting together before he could stop it. Immediate reaction. The way his poker face immediately washed over his features was another dead give away. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said coolly.

"Oh?" JJ replied, on a roll now and unwilling to give up. "So it's the fact that we're on stand-down that's had you sulking around the office for the last week? When was the last time you went home? When was the last time you saw your son? When was the last time you _talked_ to your son?"

"You are out of line, Agent Jareau."

And for the first time in her life, JJ felt the anger drain out of her. She backed down immediately, unused to this kind of wrath. His face was a mask of anger, but still, she absently patted herself on the back for withdrawing some sort of emotion other than blank, cold eyes. She sighed heavily. "Well, someone's got to be. Hotch… you can't keep sulking around here. Whatever… happened between you and Emily… either someone needs to fix something or something needs to change because this is _brutal_."

"You have no idea."

JJ watched his eyes fall closed the minute the clipped words had left his mouth. It was all the confirmation she needed, but the last thing she wanted to do was seriously poke the bear. "So you were together."

"Seven months," he said finally.

Puzzle pieces started falling into place in front of JJ's eyes. The way the team had worked seamlessly, Emily's uncanny ability to remind Hotch that they had a job to do when things got too brutal, the effortless way they seemed to be in tune with what the other needed… She should have known. Or at least, should have noticed. "She broke up with you."

The pain washed through Hotch's eyes before he could hide it, but she knew it was the truth. And she knew it had ended in Boston. So she asked him what he was going to do.

"Nothing," he replied.

JJ blinked. "Seriously?"

"There's nothing I can do," he replied.

She knew she wasn't going to get anything else out of him. So she took a deep breath. "Hotch… You need her. It's obvious. You need her to be here, to support you and to be the rock for the team. And we're all beating ourselves up for not noticing how bad she'd gotten, but I'm guessing none of us are taking it as hard as you are."

She paused for a moment, thinking of the right words. "Whatever you did, whatever she did… It doesn't matter. What does matter is acknowledging that you need her in your life. Letting her go would be flat stupid Hotch. Ask anyone down in that bullpen and they'll tell you exactly the same thing." She looked down at her hands. "She's in pain. She's hurting. She didn't take this vacation because she really wanted it. She took it to get away. It was obvious. And I think we both know now that part of it was to get away from you. But she hasn't called. Hasn't e-mailed. Hasn't gotten in touch with anyone here while she's been gone."

Then, deliberately making sure she met his eyes, she delivered the zinger. "And I think you're the only one who can bring her back."

* * *

_**This one requires a little bit of explanation...**_

_**Usually, it would be Dave to come in and virtually kick Hotch's sorry butt, but I looked at this as JJ is Emily's best friend (for the purposes of this story and in my happy little CM universe) and yet, at the same time, the show has shown her and Hotch with a different kind of connection. He's always softer with her. Like when she brings Henry into the BAU and she comments on him smiling. **_

_**And I'm sick of writing Dave as the one to kick Hotch into gear. Someone else needs a chance!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**WITHOUT RESERVATION**

PROMPT: What Happens in Vegas, Dies in Boston (Crossing Jordan)

Chapter 4

--

Nicholas Prentiss liked to believe he was a rather intelligent man. More than that, he liked to believe there were very few people in the world he knew better than his dark-haired niece. She'd been here for a week and a half now and had done nothing more than sit at the window all day, staring out over the expanse of acreage he had in the back. It was more out of character than Nicholas had ever seen her.

Emily had grown up riding horses. She loved riding and he knew there were enough trails around the property to keep her occupied for much longer than the three weeks she'd slated to be here. Yet there hadn't been once that Emily had been out on those trails. She'd never even gone to the barn. The furthest she'd ventured was outside to the porch where she spent hours literally just sitting on the porch swing.

And she was having nightmares to boot. He was a naturally light sleeper, an unfortunate thing when his niece was waking almost every night screaming. He'd gone to her a few times, tried to sooth her out of it like he had when she was a child, but there was nothing that could bring the light back into her eyes that he loved. This wasn't his Em-bear staying with him at all. This was some sort of broken shell of the dynamic woman he knew her to be. It was with all of the love and devotion in his heart that he snuck into her room while she was out on the porch and rifled through her things to find her Blackberry. She'd kept the device off through the duration of her stay, so when he turned it on, there were a number of missed alerts.

He avoided those entirely, heading straight into her contact list. There had been one name she'd called out more often in her sleep than he'd bet even she realized, so he bypassed the first seven letters of the alphabet until he hit "H". It didn't take him long to locate 'Hotchner' in her contact list.

"Emily?"

He sounded so hopeful that Nicholas knew right then and there he was making the right decision, regardless of how much crap he was going to get for invading Emily's privacy. "I'm sorry, son, but no."

"Who is this? Where is Emily? Is she okay?"

He tried not to smile at the frantic note in the man's voice. "She's perfectly fine son, if by fine you mean safe. I'm her uncle, Nicholas Prentiss."

"I didn't know Emily had an uncle."

That didn't surprise Nicholas in the least. "Tell me, what is your relationship with my niece?"

"We're colleagues, sir," came the other man's careful voice.

That was like saying he was rich. The concern in the man's voice told Nicholas that whatever was between his niece and this man, it was more than just a peer-to-peer relationship. "What else, Mister Hotchner. Because my niece wouldn't call me at an ungodly hour to ask to come to New York if it wasn't for a damned good reason."

Hotchner was silent on the other end of the phone for a moment. "We were involved."

There was the crux of the matter. Nicholas nodded sharply. "Mister Hotchner, I need you to listen to me carefully. I do not say these words lightly."

"Yes sir."

"My Emily is not the woman she used to be. She is not out riding her horse, she is not out sunning herself on the back porch. She is not trying to beat me at chess, nor is she bragging about her superior abilities in the kitchen. She has not baked a single loaf of banana bread since arriving here, and let me tell you, Mister Hotchner, my niece bakes the best banana bread I have ever eaten."

He heard the other man swallow. "I never knew that."

Double bingo. This went deeper than Nicholas had originally anticipated. "I am not calling to place blame, or to find out what happened. What I do know is this: Emily Prentiss is not a weak woman. She is one of the strongest people I have ever met. When she breaks, she does it quickly, efficiently, and then moves on. But that is not what has happened here.

"I am not trying to place blame, nor am I trying to make this any harder than it has to be. It is obvious to me, a man that has never met you, that she is irrevocably in love with you. Coming out here was a way to reconcile herself with the life she would inevitably be returning to. This is a retreat, time to process, but it isn't working. I can see it in her eyes, in her behaviour and in the way she has woken up from nightmares with your name lodged in her throat.

"So you have a decision to make. Either you come out here, find her and fix her, or you let one of the greatest people I have had the pleasure of knowing go."

The way Hotchner hung up the phone without another word, Nicholas had a pretty good idea of what his decision would be.


	5. Chapter 5

**WITHOUT RESERVATION**

PROMPT: What Happens in Vegas, Dies in Boston (Crossing Jordan)

Chapter 5

--

The man that met Hotch at the airport was not what he'd been expecting. "Mister Prentiss."

"Nicholas, please," the older man answered, shaking the offered hand.

"Aaron," Hotch replied, feeling his lips turn up in the first relative of a smile they had in a long time.

His decision had been a no-brainer. The words of Emily's uncle were really just the catalyst he needed after JJ's words. He needed Emily in his life. If he thought his life with her in it but pulling away was dreary, then living without her around was down right dark. He was miserable and though there were butterflies in his stomach, he felt more content as they were touching down than he'd felt in a long time. Actually, than he'd felt since things between he and Emily had started to crumble.

If he was honest with himself, he couldn't figure out where they'd started to fall apart. He had no idea when he'd started pulling away – and he knew, after close inspection, that it had indeed been him to pull away first – all he knew was that it wasn't fair to Emily in the slightest. Right when she needed him, he hadn't been there for her. And he'd regret it for what felt like the rest of his life. He'd come here without even knowing if she'd forgive him. She'd fought him, fought to break through his barriers, now it was his turn to fight for her forgiveness.

* * *

Emily could hear the car coming down the gravel drive way from the back of the house. It was one of the places she'd just sat for days at a time, trying to deal with the pain that continually flooded her system. She had no more tears left to cry, but it seemed like her heart wouldn't stop aching. She knew her uncle was getting disastrously worried about her and she wished there was something she could say that would reassure him that she was just trying to work things out.

But then again, he could always tell when she was lying.

Her brow knit absently as she heard two doors slam shut. Had her uncle brought company? He knew she wasn't ready for visitors. Hell, she was barely social with him. She pushed her foot against the wood of the porch, starting the swing and waiting with surprising patience. Her uncle knew where she'd be. It wasn't like she'd ventured far in the two weeks she'd been here. She heard the door squeak open as her eyes floated over the green in front of her.

"Emily."

Her head spun fast enough to make her dizzy. His voice was the one he definitely didn't think she would be hearing any time soon, and definitely not on her uncle's back porch. He looked nervous and anxious and so delicious in khakis and a black polo. "How did you find me?"

He took a step closer. "Your uncle called me."

"How did he get your number?"

She watched him bite the inside of his cheek. "He used your Blackberry."

Silence fell.

"Emily I-"

"What are you-"

Both of their mouths snapped shut, she found herself smiling shyly, against her better judgment. "Go ahead."

"I'm sorry," he said after a moment. "And I know that it doesn't even _begin_ to cover what I've done… But I am sorry."

Her eyes went back to the sprawling fields as she pondered what to say. Part of her wanted to tell him to go to hell. The bigger part of her knew that she wouldn't mean it. She wasn't sure if she could watch him walk away again. As a general rule, she wasn't a fan of getting her heart broken.

"I… I don't know what to say to you," she admitted honestly, choosing her words carefully. "Part of me… I can't change you. I can't _make_ you open up to me. I can't _make_ you trust me enough to tell me when you're struggling. And even when I know… even when I knew… I couldn't do anything. Because you wouldn't let me."

She heard him take a few steps closer, but she didn't look up and he made no move to cross her vision.

"And then, I came here, and I thought… I can get away. I can get my mind straight, I can figure out what I want to do and whether I even come back to the BAU."

"You can't leave."

She blinked up at him for a moment. Then, she nodded slowly. "You're right. I can't."

* * *

_**One more!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**WITHOUT RESERVATION**

PROMPT: What Happens in Vegas, Dies in Boston (Crossing Jordan)

Chapter 6

--

"What does that… I don't…"

Emily looked away again. "I figured getting away… It would be what was best. But then… I couldn't get you out of my head and I… I _missed_ you. And I hated myself for it because you broke my heart. I tried everything I could, every behavioural trick I could come up with and you still shut me down."

"I was hurting," Hotch said quietly. "And you… you're too beautiful to have to shoulder my burden and yours at the same time. And I was too busy making sure you didn't take on my burden to see that you were having your own problems. I should have been there for you, Em. I should have let you be there for me."

Her eyes locked onto his. "Why didn't you? Who else is going to know exactly what you're going through?"

Finally, he sat down beside her and delicately took her hand. She didn't pull away. "The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt you and I thought… I thought if I added my own stress to yours that it wouldn't do any good."

"You need to talk to someone," she reminded him. She couldn't stop herself from reaching up to cup his cheek. "You need to relieve stress or you'll break. And what are we going to do when you break?"

"Lean on you," he replied. "We've all been a mess this week. You're integral to the team, Emily. We need you. I need you."

"I don't know if that's good enough."

"I can't take back the past," Hotch said, his hand coming up to cover hers. "I can only tell you that I'd like to change things. But I need you to give me the opportunity to do that."

"I want to," she admitted. "More than anything. And I knew going into this that it wasn't going to be all romance and flowers and adorable picnics in the park. I should have known it was going to be difficult."

"Emily, stop. This… this is my doing. You didn't deserve to be shut out I just…"

Her finger pressed on Hotch's lips, stopping him from talking. "Let's just… Let's start with a clean slate, okay? Because I can't imagine kicking you out of my life."

"And I need you in mine," he agreed, gently grasping her wrist to take her hand away from his mouth. "No more apologies."

"No more past. Just…. Forward."

"Forward," he agreed, a contented smile stretching over his face. "I can do that."

Emily nodded, shifting as he pulled her closer. For the first time in a long time, she felt more stable, more like she could go back to some sort of sanity in her life. She didn't feel like crying, she didn't feel empty. All she felt was his warmth on her side, and the way his head rested against hers as she settled her head on his shoulder.

"I took a week of leave," he said quietly, interrupting the quiet serenity.

"You took holidays?" she asked, wrinkling her brow. "You don't take holidays."

Hotch blew out a breath. "You were worth it. I didn't know how hard I was going to have to fight for you. It was a precautionary measure."

She shifted. "You were willing to stay here for a whole week to fight for me?" she asked in awe.

"I was willing to do whatever it took. It isn't the same without you around. The BAU isn't the same without you sitting outside my window. I was willing to drop everything to fix this."

She curled tighter to him, tickled pink that he really was willing to fight almost tooth and nail to make things right again. "What are you going to do with your week off?"

"My flight doesn't leave here for another week. What about yours?"

She grinned. "My flight doesn't leave until the end of the week either."

Hotch nodded, and she watched another smile spreading across his face. "Do you think your uncle would mind another guest for a week?"

Emily shook her head, looking back out into the fields. "Not at all."

* * *

_**And that's it!**_

_**I've been looking forward to writing a prompt like this for a while, so finally I gave in and included it in this third set of prompts. **_


End file.
